Screentime before bed is not as bad for sleep as feared.
Staring at screens before bed does not impact sleep significantly
People have long been advised to avoid using phones and watching TV before bedtime as the blue lights suppress the sleep hormone melatonin but a new report questions the wisdom of this.
The paper published in the medical journal Sleep Medicine Reviews claims that the effect of screens on sleep is not as significant as thought.
Michael Gradisar, a clinical psychologist who co-wrote the report, said: "If we stand back and look at all of the factors that can be harmful to our sleep, screens are overrated.
"There's no evidence from 11 studies conducted across the world that screen light in the hour before bed makes it harder to fall asleep."
The most notable effect was seen in a study carried out a decade ago which found that screens only delayed sleep by 10 minutes.
Gradisar added: "One has to ask, does 10 minutes really make a difference?"
Tagged in Sleep